A new year and new decade bring renewed hopes for the prospects of limited government reforms in California.
Last year, the only spoonful of sugar to make the numerous progressive policies go down was the irony of the resulting unintended consequences. CPC President Will Swaim reflects on the most ironic stories, from energy to education to labor policies, of 2019 in his recent OC Register column. Read it HERE.
Despite billions of dollars in public spending, California continues to lead the nation in homelessness, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “While the rest of the country experienced a combined decrease in homelessness in 2019, significant increases in unsheltered and chronic homelessness on the West Coast, particularly California and Oregon, offset those nationwide decreases, causing an overall increase in homelessness of 2.7 percent in 2019,” HUD said in a statement. From 2018 to 2019 homelessness increased in California by 16.4 percent.
AB 5, which outlaws many contracting jobs, is now state law, and its impact on employment opportunities is already being felt. Before the year ended, Vox Media cut hundreds of freelance journalists to comply. Uber and Postmates have teamed up to sue the state of California for violating the equal protection and due process provisions in the state constitution.
The American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Press Photographers Association, represented by Pacific Legal Foundation, have filed a lawsuit claiming that AB 5 unconstitutionally restricts free speech and the media. On Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked AB 5 from taking effect for 70,000 independent truck drivers.
As we enter the new year, Californians’ patience is being tested. Whether it's higher taxes or more regulations, Golden State residents are hitting a breaking point. With money mismanaged, Californians have begun to reject a number of measures to increase their taxes any further. CPC contributor Larry Sand writes about the prospects of a new tax grab pushed by the state’s government unions to pour billions more into education. Read it HERE.
Finally, 2020 is a census year and for the first time ever California is set to lose a Congressional seat with the reapportionment in the House of Representatives. Over the last two years, California has experienced its two lowest population growth rates since 1900. According to National Review, California, New York and six other states are on track to lose representation in Congress while Texas, Florida and Arizona are slated to gain seats in 2022. At least New York can partially blame its population loss on its cold weather. By contrast, California’s “sunshine tax” is entirely the fault of its policymakers.
Upcoming Events:
The Role of Religion in Politics and the Role of Politics in Religion
The Pepperdine School of Public Policy hosts Rabbi Stu Halpern on Thursday, February 6 to discuss his new book, Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Hebrew Bible in the United States. He will be joined by Pepperdine’s Wilfred McClay and Rabbi Meir Y. Soloveichik for a dynamic conversation on the role the Bible has, can and should play in the American public conversation. To register for this event, click here.
Franklin and Washington: The Founding Partnership Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson will speak at the Commonwealth Club on Monday, February 10 and discuss his joint biography of our two most influential Founding Fathers. Tickets are $20 for non-members and will include a book-signing as well. For more information, and to register, click here.
If you have any upcoming events in the state, please send them to me!
As always, if you’d like to join our movement to save California, we invite you to support us. Click here to donate to CPC.
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA POLICY CENTER
The California Policy Center promotes prosperity for all Californians through limited government and individual liberty.
